Leviticus 5

Today’s Passage: Leviticus 5

The last chapter named the sin offering by who sinned — priest, congregation, leader, common person. This chapter names cases that hide in ordinary life: a mouth that stays shut, a touch that made a person unclean, a rash oath. When he realizes it, he is guilty. He must confess. Then he brings what he can bring, and if he is poor, God has already named a smaller way. After that the LORD turns to holy things harmed, and the ram comes with restitution. What was hidden still matters. The poor are not shut out.

As you read, hold this: What was hidden still matters, and the poor are not shut out.

Leviticus 5:1–6 (BSB)

¹ “If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity. ² Or if a person touches anything unclean—whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal or livestock or crawling creature—even if he is unaware of it, he is unclean and guilty. ³ Or if he touches human uncleanness—anything by which one becomes unclean—even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty.

⁴ Or if someone swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do anything good or evil—in whatever matter a man may rashly pronounce an oath—even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty in the matter. ⁵ If someone incurs guilt in one of these ways, he must confess the sin he has committed, ⁶ and he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin he has committed: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin.

A public charge is called, and he heard it, and he knew something, and he said nothing. He shall bear the iniquity. Or he touched what was unclean and did not know, and when he realizes it, he is guilty. Or he swore thoughtlessly, and when he realizes it, he is guilty in the matter. Hidden things come to the surface. They still matter.

The first move is not a bargain. He must confess (יָדָה) yādāh, pronounced yaw-DAH. Strong's H3034, to give thanks, to praise, to confess, to acknowledge. In this verse it is the form הִתְוַדָּה (hitvaddāh): he shall confess. He does not only bring an animal. He tells the truth about the sin. The mouth that stayed shut, or spoke too fast, now speaks to God. the sin he has committed. Then he brings a female lamb or goat, and the priest makes atonement. He does not get to keep the matter buried and still call it finished.

Leviticus 5:7–13 (BSB)

⁷ If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. ⁸ He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first present the one for the sin offering. He is to twist its head at the front of its neck without severing it; ⁹ then he is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. ¹⁰ And the priest must prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

¹¹ But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. ¹² He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful from it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar atop the offerings made by fire to the LORD; it is a sin offering. ¹³ In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has committed, and he will be forgiven. The remainder will belong to the priest, like the grain offering.”

If he cannot afford a lamb, two turtledoves or two young pigeons will do — one as a sin offering, one as a burnt offering. The priest presents the sin offering first. Blood on the side of the altar, the rest drained at the base. The second bird goes up as a burnt offering. Atonement, and he will be forgiven.

If he cannot afford the birds, he brings a tenth of an ephah of fine flour. No olive oil. No frankincense. This is not the grain gift from the earlier chapter. It is a sin offering, and it is treated as one. The priest burns a handful. The remainder belongs to the priest. Atonement, and he will be forgiven. The poor man walks the same way as the man with a lamb.

Leviticus 5:14–19 (BSB)

¹⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses, ¹⁵ “If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering. ¹⁶ Regarding any holy thing he has harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to it and giving it to the priest, who will make atonement on his behalf with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

¹⁷ If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment. ¹⁸ He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven. ¹⁹ It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the LORD.”

Someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against the LORD’s holy things. He brings an unblemished ram of proper value. That is a guilt offering (אָשָׁם) ʾāšām, pronounced ah-SHAHM. Strong's H817, guilt offering, trespass offering; guilt, blame. Asham is the offering for guilt that has a cost you can name. Holy things were harmed. A fifth is added back. The ram is brought, and the loss is made right. The sinner does not invent the price. God already named it. . He also makes the holy thing right — restitution, plus a fifth, given to the priest. The ram and the payback travel together. Even if he did not know he had violated a commandment, he is still guilty, and he still brings a ram. Unawareness is not a hiding place.